Safe Water Systems: An Evaluation of the Zambia Clorin Program

Clorin is a household water treatment product (a sodium hypochlorite disinfectant) that Society for Family Health launched in Zambia in 1998. This report provides a external assessment of Clorin use in light of the Centers for Disease Control and Pan American Health Organization's overall Safe Water Systems initiative. The intervention took a social marketing approach, targeting low-income households with Clorin at a subsidized price, and sales steadily increased from 1998 to 2004. This involved training for health center staff , neighborhood volunteers, and pharmacists; and promotions through radio, television, newspapers, and posters. The study found that active marketing through community-level personal was very important, while the role of mass media messages was unclear. Collaboration with the government health sector, retailers, and community agents was advised, as was strengthening the water management side of the program.

In study areas, 42% of households reported current Clorin use and 22% said they were past users. 13% of water samples tested positive for residual chlorine.
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Increased use of Clorin was correlated with primary water caretakers with a secondary education, households of better construction, exposure to promotion by Society for Family Health and health centers, proximity to retail outlets, and perception that water was unsafe to drink.
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Use of Clorin was not related to price paid or distance traveled for water, nor did households using Clorin generally follow other Safe Water System practices or differ from non-users in hygiene practices.
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Use of Clorin by a neighbor was one of the most important reasons for adopting the product.
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